More User Reviews:

Appearance  This one poured a clear, brilliant orange in color with a huge, frothing head that showed great retention.

Smell  The big, complex hop nose is spectacular. The pine is big but unusually smooth and the citrus is equally luscious and inviting. The orange and grapefruit flavors work in perfect harmony here.

Theres a light caramel smell as well, but this does not have a big, malty backbone like a lot of ADIPAs. This one is just a symphony of hops.

Taste  Amazingly, all the big, smelly hops from the nose made there way to the taste buds. You get the smooth pine, creamy orange, tingly grapefruit, and a few other flavors that I cant nail down. Again, the malt is well in the background here and consists mostly of sweetish caramel notes.

Mouthfeel  This one is only medium-bodied, which puts it on the light side for the ADIPA style. Its very dry though with a creamy mouthfeel.

Drinkability  If theres such a thing as a session ADIPA then this is it. It goes down incredibly well yet doesnt fill you up. I got a 2005 vintage so it is very fresh. Im thinking you could cellar this for a few months to malt it up if you wanted.

Comments  Because this doesnt have a big malty backbone like a lot of other examples of the style, some may pooh-pooh this effort by Full Sail. However, the hops profile here has taken things to a whole new level. (1,405 characters)

First installment of their "Brewmaster's Reserve" of 2008 weighing in at 80 IBUs. Hmmm, sounds like someone knows something about bitterness threshold and tastebuds.

Mildly hazed. Orangey honey-colored brew topped with an off-white frothing head with nice lacing and retention. Perfumed nose of orange zest and mint. Fairly light and fluffy in body, and a bit coarse in the mouth. Orange peel and rind hop flavor up front with a distinctly herbal finish. Had enough hops already? Too bad, have some more. Tangy, citric, gland-juicing smack. Green peppercorn. Just a kernel of malt flavor and touch of honey. Resiny, sticky, oily. Herbal bitterness gets rather intense like a strong black tea left to steep too long. Just a breath of alcohol with some apricot and pineapple. Where's the malt? Dead. The hops killed it, but that's okay because that's what an Imperial IPA is all about. To hell with balance, sometimes. (967 characters)

Purchased from Blue Max Liquors in Burnsville, MN. Pours a dark orange amber body with a puffy off-white head. Aroma is of citrus hops and sweet malt, exactly what you'd expect from a double IPA. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and medium carbed. Flavor is big grapefruit and pineapple hops, and also astringent. The sweetness of the malt make a brief appearance, but quickly disappears as your mouth is coated with hops. As the beer warmed, a stong alcohol flavor came on strong. This one actually got worse towards the end of the glass. I won't be seeking this out again. (568 characters)

Bottle, BevMo La Jolla. Pours clear copper with a short white head. Floral hop aroma, without the piney, resiny goodness. Dank caramel as well. Bitter, fuggels-like bite. Very metallic, tea-leaf like bitterness. Even the malt tastes acidic. No citrus, resin flavors. Almost like an English IPA gone nuclear. Not what I expected or wanted from an IIPA. (351 characters)

Sampled on-tap at Laurelthirst Public House in Portland. I was pretty disappointed by this imperial IPA. Alcohol taste was very strong, and hops were mild. Basically this just tasted like a normal pale ale (not IPA) with a shot of alcohol dumped in. The beer was a handsome darkish amber with good head. Malts were reasonably flavorful, if restrained. Hops were almost invisible. Mouthfeel fine, but again that alcohol reared its ugly head, made it seem less beer-like. The beer gave me a good buzz but ruined my chance of properly tasting any subsequent beers. Full Sail is so masterful at creating everyday session beers that a big beer like this is perhaps not what they are suited for. Not a complete failure, the pint was drinkable for sure, but again a disappointment. After reading sinistersteve's year-old review, I wonder if I might have gotten a similarly bad pour although I didn't notice any soapy notes to speak of. Hiro says it's good and he knows his beer, so I will give it another shot, hopefully poured properly at the Brass in the near future. (1,062 characters)

Good orange ipa type of color, a little bit hazy but nothing to be considered a detriment. Aroma was a little grass hoppiness, nothing huge, but not nonexistant, standard fare, evolved into grapefruit and then the pine that I was looking for in wreck the halls.

Some of the usual c hop bitterness, standard full sail fullers yeast type of yeast flavor. They didn't really go adventurous here, another one of full sails many ipa recipes. Pretty sweet malt flavors. Would like to see the beer go for more of the aromatic and softer hop touches instead of the longer hop boils leading to more and more viscious bitterness without other components to balance it out. But the price is always right with these, so I'd say check it out if you like hoppy stuff and you've never had it. (778 characters)

A- This beer has a slight hazy deep dark orange body with a matrix of tiny bubbles racing to the surface. The head is a thick creamy foam of light beige that last for the full beer. The foam sticks to the glass leaving register marks after each sip.

S- During the pour, green floral hop cones fill the nose

T- The pungent grapefruit hops has herbal overtones with lightly toasted sweet malt underneath supporting it. The finish is a full pungent earthy hop finish with pine bitterness that lingers after the finish.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a creamy texture from the thick head and no real alcohol heat.

D- This beer has a nice big hoppy flavor that is not real complex but has a great freshness to it. There was a bit of tongue fatigue with drinking a whole bottle but I'm not complaining. (840 characters)

Found this in the back color of the West Hollywood, BevMo in my desperate attempt to find a half decent chilled beer. It was in a box that clearly had a few removed from it, so I figured that was like saying, "You can but one too!" though the cashier gave me a bit of grizzled "Where you get this?" when I was at the check out. Oh well, I wasn't stopped and gots to take this new-to-me beer over to a buddy's for the evening.

The appearance was good not great: a bit light for a DIPA. The smell wasn't though - big citrus hops profile. There's sweetness in the underlining malt character but it takes a few sips to reach under the bombastic hops.

At 7.8 this is not an all day session beer, but it goes down very easily. Hopefully this beer gets made more often, I liked. (812 characters)

Flavor: Offers a brilliant, polished, superbly rounded and well-balanced combination of softly doughy, bready, and subtly grainy malt and juicy, citrusy, and sublimely piney hops. The bitterness which is the backbone of any IPA remains rock solid but not brash.

Mouthfeel: Full without being overdone (medium-full); and it's not sticky, which can lead to cloying maltiness and resinous hoppiness. A delicate, very fine bubbled natural carbonation gives it a gentle caress, leaving it soft and far from gassy, lending towards drinkability, and rounding the malt and hop flavors.

Drinkability: For a restrained "Imperial" IPA of just 7.8% (some IPA's are 8.0%) it's not overdone. It's beautifully balanced, displaying malt and hop flavors in a supple manner. The alcohol never makes an appearance; and except for the fact that it may be filling, there's really nothing to slow you down here. This could be a dangerous beer! Well worth seeking out for malt lovers and hop heads, but not those seeking a kick of bitterness. I intend to find a few of these for enjoying in front of the fire after a long day when the cold winter comes! (1,356 characters)

Pours a bright amber hue topped by a creamy white head, with little carbonation in the bottle. Nice, sweet aroma of fresh, fruity hops, with a ton of grapefruit, white grape, and grass blended with a touch of light malt. Palate is well-balanced between light malt and fruity hops up front, becoming strictly hops on the dry, bittersweet, lupulin-laced finish. Mouthfeel is very dry, but conveys the flavor quite well. Very drinkable for a beer of this stature. (460 characters)

22 oz bottle into a balloon goblet. Bottle shows this as a 2008 Brewmaster Reserve, so I've got no idea how old this old considering it appears that a 2009 Reserve is now out.

Anyway, this pours a clear gold amber with 2 fingers of poofy off-white head. Retains down into a solid covering of creamy foam that throws up a quite nice looking frothy cascade that leaves swathes of sticky lacing all up on the sides of the glass. The aroma is floral and herbal hops with a touch of spice and the remains of what probably used to be some fairly resinous accents at one time. Citrus character and grainy malt mixes with the more herbal qualities to definitely give this bouquet a sweet edge.

The taste is similar to the aroma with a more moderate feeling hop profile. Grass, herbal qualities, and spice stand out the most, but there is some residual lingering bitterness that makes me believe that there used to be a bit more here. Some fruity citrus and big grainy malts balance out the profile finishing things with a lingering tang and light bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a pretty darn mellow, creamy, and relatively easy feeling carbonation despite the heavier ABV.

Despite what appears to be a bit of age on this bottle (and some apparent hop fade) this packed enough other supportive flavors and a really nice feel in the mouth to still make for a rather solid drinking experience. I'll be on the look out for a fresher bottle of this for comparison. (1,474 characters)

Clear, golden-red in hue with a tawny influence, minimal animation lazily danced towards the foamy white head. At the apex the head was a finger and a half in height, after a few moments it faded to a small but tight cap. This IPA has a truly lovely color. There was no subsequent lacing. The nose is hoppy but it doesnt smell Imperial to me. The citrus notes are a little muted; the caramel maltiness is sturdy enough to cut into the hoppy bouquet. I detected stray pine aromas mixed with spruce. There is a moderate amount of spice and heat with some fruity notes. I am not impressed with the bouquet as it is very ordinary. It is inviting, not based on potency of the aromas but just the tickle of hops I detect. I listen when hops speak. Thus I drink. The palate is better than the nose indicated, mainly because the alcohol livens up the flavors, significantly. There is little doubt that this beer is 7.80% abv. The heat adds a pleasant layer of complexity, at first (read on). As for the hops, this is an IPA after all; I like the juicy citrus flavors. There is also a good amount of raw bitterness (which plays very lovely with the alcohol). At the back is a good amount of fruitiness, melons mainly. For an IIPA the malt backbone is not only big enough for support but fairly flavorful. The aftertaste is hot and bitter. The more I drank the more it became harsh. This hurts the drinkability and my need to drink it in the future. Medium/medium full in body, low carbonation, the mouthfeel is good, if not ordinary. This is a fair IPA, nothing special really; in fact there are more negative things I can say about it than positive. Usually I-IPA are fun to drink, this one is not, as it is somewhat boring yet harsh. I bought a bomber of this in Loveland, CO. One was enough for me, more for you? (1,828 characters)

A clear and deep orange on the pour. Nice inch of soapy foam settles slowly, holding a thin cap for a while then surrendering to a light ring.

Typical Full Sail nose. Thin hop presence and a unilateral malt nose. Sweet and boring yet kicked up a bit vs. their regular offerings. Opens up a bit with some warming but remains moderate.

Taste is chalky and dry. Not bad, not negative but simply lacking in its ability to garner your attention. Slightly spicy on the finish and feel helps keep things interesting to a degree. No real bitterness on the finish even given the dry nature of the beer.

Malt forward and typical to a degree of Northwest IPA's in my experience. Where are the hops? (691 characters)

Poured from a 22 oz bottle, the liquid is gold with good carbonation. The head is 2 fingers, white and leaves some lace. I expected a darker thicker looking brew.

The smell was quite nice, quit hopy.

The Taste I find earthy both front and back with an interesting citrus Lime note in the middle. Very good, it really sets this one up as a unique tasting brew I would love to try again. Glad I have another.

The mouthfeel is a bit thin for a DIPA, Carbonation is good, Being mid-summer maybe its a good thing.

The drinkability is very good. I like it alot over all.
Prosit and a big thanks to Wasatch for this brew. MK (632 characters)

Flavors of citrus lemon grapefruit that are fresh and clean that go to a pine/pine resin character and then finishes pine and pine resin, as well. Not terribly complex but big hop character, flavors and finish. Nice quality and appears well made, although the more I drink the more the flavors and finish seem a bit "off" and unpleasant.

I might not be able to drink much of this one. I like many beers at room temperature (cool room temperature). This one benfits from a bit of chilling. (757 characters)

A 22 oz bomber from a trade with Wasatch. As he notes, my bottle is different from the one pictured.

A: The ale is a brown-orange mixture, far closer to dull brown than vibrant orange. The ale is almost flawless, nearly translucent but for a faint haziness. A thicker, fuller head leaves a nice band of lace throughout the glass.

S: The nose is a solid, hop-infused DIPA. Big citrus hops jump out of the glass, they are thick and resiny and gladly share the space with some piney notes. Nice and full-bodied.

T: I finally found a Full Sail IPA that lives up to its potential! The hops are thick and resiny, full of big, HUGE grapefruit flavors, sweet with the slight bitterness of orange peel. The flavors are not so overwhelming up front, mixing nicely with a caramel malt body. Mid-sip, the two flavors mix nicely, amping up both the bitterness and the sweetness. As the finish approaches, some tangerine notes emerge to guide the brew home. The finish is bitter and long, ill-defined at times but strong enough to leave you happy.

M: Lots o' hops, this beer does not disappoint if you are a hophead. The bitterness pops up from first sip to last, practically scarring the tastebuds with lupulin goodness.

D: For a beer with this much strength behind it, the abv is surprisingly low. I expected at least 8.5%, so this is damn near child's play. I am pleased and will trade for this one again. (1,409 characters)

Grabbed the new 2009 release from Fred Meyer. Quite surprised I had to add this beer... as the last reviews were on the 2008 release a long time ago. Did I find the only bottle around? No freshness date.

- Taste caught me off guard. Thought it wouldn't be as good as it smelled.. but it was better. Not too sweet, and roasted caramel malt.. a bit chewy.. some bread notes. Nice spicy hop with a tiny tiny bit of floral and citrus hiding behind all the spice and alcohol taste.

- Leaves the mouth dry and tasting of alcohol.

- Is however nice to drink, and easy to drink. A good DIPA to compete with some of the other annual releases. (849 characters)

Slipknot Impy IPAMy first Imperial IPA. From 2008 batch. Pours a clear amber with a two-finger off-white head. Nice amount of lacings.Nice citrus and hop nose. Grapefruit flavor with a nice caramel malt cushion. Perfect carbonation and the flavor becomes smoother as the bubbles lessen and the liquid warms. I tasted this brew so young so I could determine if I wanted to buy some more for the cellar. I will do so. Unfortunately I don't see this beer often. Well recommended. (480 characters)

Huh. Almost straight up 4s on this one, too. You'd think that I wasn't paying attention, or something, but I really do this conscientiously. Honest!

It's a pretty good beer. No complaints. Nice and easy drinker. To get a higher score from me I'd like to see maybe a bit more head that lasts longer and a bit more sweetness and body to it. But, really, if I had access to this I'd be drinking it on a regular basis - it's good stuff. Not overbearing with the Cascades (and, hey, we can thank them for that!). No nasty aftertaste. Just a good drinking beer! (556 characters)